Appointment of Interim Dean, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

From Philip Rous, Interim Provost

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. William R. LaCourse as UMBC’s Interim Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), effective August 1, 2011. Dr. LaCourse’s appointment concludes an internal search begun in early July. I am extremely grateful for the outstanding service of the members of the search committee that was chaired by Dr. Geoffrey Summers, Vice President for Research.

Dr. LaCourse joined the UMBC community in 1992 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry, holds the rank of Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry, and served most recently as Chair (2008-2011) of the department.

During the past nineteen years, Dr. LaCourse has established an exemplary record of leadership and service to advancing the mission of the University and the College. He played a founding role in the development and implementation of the Chemistry Discovery Center that has become a model of innovation in pedagogy at UMBC and across the nation. He has also played a leadership role in the Kauffman Entrepreneurship Initiative, which has served to infuse entrepreneurship across the disciplines. He also introduced a Chemistry Minor program and a BA in Chemistry Education. Dr. LaCourse’s research interests include basic and applied research on hydrodynamic electroanalytical techniques in liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, adsorption phenomena at noble metal electrodes, and advanced sample preparation techniques. The results of his interdisciplinary research have been published extensively, including a sole-authored book and two issued patents.

The Interim Dean serves as the chief academic officer of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, directing the management and business functions of the college, and working with the chairs, faculty, and staff of its departments and centers to promote their undergraduate, graduate, and research programs. As Interim Dean, Dr. LaCourse will lead a college with strong enrollments, a productive faculty and staff, a cadre of excellent undergraduate and graduate students, a strong research enterprise, and growing ties to external constituencies. The Interim Dean reports to the Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and is a member of the university’s leadership team.

On behalf of our faculty, students, and staff I would like to thank Dr. LaCourse for his willingness to serve our community in this new capacity to bring his experience and skills to the position of Interim Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.

UMBC Receives Grant to Operate NASA Center Focused on Space Weather

UMBC will administer a new NASA research center focused on studying space weather and the impact it can have on human activities.

The Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute (GPHI), operating under a 5-year, $10 million cooperative agreement, will provide support and resources for university researchers to collaborate with scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as they refine efforts to predict the solar activity that ejects charged particles into space. The “weather” created by these events interferes with power grids, telecommunication systems and other activities on Earth, while also threatening spacecraft and creating risks for space travel.

“This agreement offers a great opportunity to continue research that is deepening our understanding of solar and magnetospheric physics,” said Jan Merka, director of the new center. “The main goal is to more reliably predict space weather so we can avoid the impacts on space and Earth activities caused by extreme solar and magnetospheric events.”

UMBC has a long history of working closely with scientists at NASA and the Goddard Space Flight Center. In addition to GPHI, UMBC administers the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), which focuses on geosciences and is now in its sixteenth year. The university is also a partner in the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST), which focuses on astrophysics.

“We are delighted to continue collaborating with NASA in the area of planetary and heliophsyics research as GPHI scientists work to expand our understanding of space weather,” said Geoff Summers, UMBC’s vice president for research. “This ongoing area of research is particularly exciting as it both increases our understanding of the solar system and helps explain the effect of space weather on Earth.”

Fall Opening Meeting (8/24)

From President Freeman Hrabowski and Interim Provost Philip Rous

Each year, at the start of the fall semester, the UMBC community comes together to welcome colleagues and students back to campus, celebrate our achievements, and launch the beginning of a new academic year. Please join us at the Fall Opening Meeting on Wednesday, August 24, in the University Center Ballroom. A light lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the program begins promptly at 12 noon.

It will include the President’s annual State of the University Address, focusing on the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff, enrollment, budget, campus facilities, and the capital campaign. The meeting will also include welcoming remarks by the Interim Provost, as well as two of our incoming undergraduate and graduate students who will talk about why they chose to join the UMBC community.

So that as many people as possible can attend, release time for staff will be granted. All campus offices will remain open, and services will continue to be offered. We ask supervisors to work with staff members to arrange for office coverage.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, August 24th.

UMBC Again Named a “Great College to Work For”

From President Freeman Hrabowski and Interim Provost Philip Rous

For the second consecutive year, a Chronicle of Higher Education survey has rated UMBC as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to results released today.

UMBC is among only 42 campuses included in the Chronicle’s Honor Roll, and is the only four-year institution in Maryland to receive this designation.

The Chronicle surveyed more than 43,000 faculty and staff at 310 colleges and universities nationwide, including UMBC. This year, UMBC received high ratings in eight categories:

• Collaborative Governance
• Professional/Career Development Programs
• Work/Life Balance
• Confidence in Senior Leadership
• Supervisor/Department Chair Relationship
• Respect and Appreciation
• Tenure Clarity & Process
• Diversity

The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators, and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.

Thank you for all you do for UMBC. We are a “Great College to Work For” because of you.

For more information and to view all the results of the survey, visit http://chronicle.com/academicworkplace.

Updated Payment Request and UMBC Request for Payment Forms

The Payment Request form and the UMBC Request for Payment form (Travel/Miscellaneous Reimbursements) have been updated and are posted at the Financial Services website under the “Forms” section.

Please begin using the new forms immediately.

Business Services will no longer accept the old forms as of Friday, July 29. Outdated forms will be returned to the department to be resubmitted on the new forms.

Please contact Linda Miller at ext. 5-3288 with any questions.

University Health Services Closed August 23 for Training

With support of the Vice President of Student Affairs, University Health Services will be closed on Tuesday, August 23, for annual training requirements and certifications. If a person has a medical emergency, they should call campus police at ext. 5-5555 or 911. To reach our on-call physicians, please call campus police at ext. 5-5555. Immunization forms can be faxed to ext. 5-1125.

New Homecoming Website Launched

The Homecoming committee is pleased to share its brand-new website, umbc.edu/homecoming, which includes a calendar of events, photo slideshow, a volunteers tab for information about how to get involved, tools for promoting Homecoming to campus audiences, and much more.

UMBC’s Homecoming will be held October 12-15, 2011, at locations across campus. For more information about how to get involved, visit the new site or contact a member of the Homecoming committee at homecoming@umbc.edu.

Save the date now for RETRIEVER FEVER!

USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan’s Statement on the Death of John S. Toll, Former Head of the University System of Maryland

From William E. Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland

The University System of Maryland community expresses its deepest sympathy on the passing of John S. Toll, an extraordinary and brilliant man who devoted his life to advancing excellence. The founding chancellor of the University System of Maryland, Toll was a gifted physicist, a dedicated and highly effective higher education leader, and an exemplary public servant. He was one of the giants of Maryland higher education.

As a young scientist, Dr. Toll helped establish what became known as the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He would later join the physics faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park and, as its chair, lead it to become one of the university’s first nationally renowned academic departments.

He left Maryland in 1965 to serve as president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook for 13 years. When John Toll returned to Maryland in 1978, he began a 10-year tenure as president of the five-campus University of Maryland, guiding the development of policies and practices that helped the system to move toward the ranks of the country’s great public university systems.

Never satisfied with the status quo or mediocrity, Johnny relentlessly championed the merger of the then five-campus University of Maryland with the six campuses of the Maryland Board of Trustees of State Colleges and Universities, forming what is known today as the University System of Maryland. To him, this merger was vital to move Maryland’s public higher education network toward national eminence. Then-Governor William Donald Schaefer appointed Dr. Toll to serve as the first chancellor of the new 11-university system in 1988. In his 11 years as president and chancellor, Johnny worked tirelessly to improve the quality and salaries of faculty, encourage campuses to attract brighter students, increase fund raising efforts significantly, and involve the system more deeply in the state’s economic development.

When Johnny stepped down as chancellor in 1989, it was clear that he would never retire. That same year, he was named chancellor emeritus of the Maryland system and appointed to head the Universities Research Association, a position he held for five years. And in 1995, he was appointed president of Washington College in Chestertown.

Even after leaving Washington College in 2004, Johnny returned to the physics faculty of the University of Maryland, College Park, teaching in a building that in 2002 was named in his honor.

Johnny Toll laid a firm foundation for what is today a strong and widely respected public higher education system. His unabashed optimism and his relentless pursuit of excellence had an electrifying effect in mobilizing faculty, staff, and students to join his efforts. There can be no doubt that the present excellence of the University System of Maryland had its roots in the work of John Toll.

We join his wife Deborah and their family in mourning his loss and, at the same time, celebrating his extraordinary legacy.

[Read the entire press release here.]

Staff Member Pat Lewis’s Family Tragedy: Please Help

From Isabel Garrido, Student Business Services

Pat Lewis, an employee of Student Business Services, is going through a hard time right now and needs your help. Her daughter lost her home to a devastating fire a couple of days ago. Thankfully everyone is okay, but they have lost everything. We have started a collection for her daughter and grandsons and are asking that anyone wishing to contribute please contact Sandi Blasetti at sblase1@umbc.edu or ext. 5-3950.

Here is a link to the story. Her house is the one on the end and is totally destroyed.

Thank you for supporting one of our own in her time of need.

New Undergraduate Program Director at The Erickson School

From Judah Ronch, Dean and Professor, Erickson School

I am pleased to announce that Galina Madjaroff, lecturer, has been appointed the Undergraduate Program Director at the Erickson School. Ms. Madjaroff holds an M.A. in Management of Aging services from the Erickson School and a B.S. in Biology, Psychology and English from UMBC. She has been a lecturer and assistant program director at the Erickson School and has been instrumental in the development of the undergraduate program and some of its most innovative online and in-class courses. She has also been very active as an academic advisor and instructor for our First Year Seminar. She will begin PhD studies this fall in the Language, Literacy and Culture program at UMBC and plans to focus her research on the ways language usage affects and shapes perceptions and treatment of the elderly.

Please join me in congratulating her on her new position.